“Can we take Chloe?” Willow dangled her keys from her finger, looking hot in her skimpy black dress and sky-high heels. Her lips were painted an enticing shade of red, and her eyes were smoky and alluring.
“You sure you don’t want to take my rental? You might be more comfortable.”
She shook her head. “Nope. Chloe’s perfectly comfortable.”
He opened the passenger door, and she settled into her seat. Her dress crept up her gorgeous thighs, and she primly leaned both knees to the side and smiled up at him.
“You look stunning in that little number, but I thought you hate wearing heels.”
She pulled him down by the collar until they were eye to eye. “I wanted to dress up for my man.” She put her finger in the center of his chin and dragged it lightly down his throat to the space between the open buttons on his collared shirt.
“You don’t like it?” she asked with all the innocence of a schoolgirl and the seduction of a vixen.
“I love it, and I can’t wait to see it on the floor later. I just want you to be comfortable.” He leaned in for a kiss, and she pressed her hand to his chest.
“Lipstick,” she whispered.
“I hate lipstick,” he grumbled.
It took only a few minutes to reach the restaurant, and during that time Willow was unusually quiet.
“Nervous?” He reached for her hand.
“A little.” She slicked her tongue over her perfectly painted lips, leaving them glistening and inviting.
“Baby, I could do you a favor and . . .” He lowered his hand to her thigh, giving it a tight squeeze. “Relax you in a very pleasurable way.”
Her eyes said yes, but she pushed his hand from her leg. “My body turns to butter after you have your way with me. I’d never be able to sit up straight afterward.”
“Good to know.”
He pulled into the parking lot and navigated to a dark spot beneath the trees. “Sweetheart, you know Remi is just a person like you and me. There’s nothing to be worried about.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about Remi. We drank together. I’ve seen the real her.”
“Then what could you possibly have to be nervous about? The dirty promise you made? Because you don’t have to do anything extra on my account. I love you just the way you are.”
She lifted one shoulder with a mysterious smile and pushed open her door. “Let’s not pick it apart.”
That didn’t sound good. He came around the car and helped her to her feet. “That’s one way to make me worry, babe.”
She touched his cheek, which paled in comparison to the kiss he so desperately wanted. “I promise you don’t need to worry.”
Right.
From the outside Tasker’s Chance looked more like a lodge decorated for the holidays than a high-end restaurant. Greenery and white lighting followed the roofline and wound down the side of the cedar building to the trees illuminating the outdoor dining area that stretched from the side of the building all the way around back. On the weekends they offered live music on the patio. The rear of the restaurant was primarily made of glass, and from its vantage point on the hill, nearly every seat offered a glorious view of the lake and the lights of the town.
“We should go right out to the patio. I reserved a table there so we could dance.” Willow took a few steps ahead and cast a sexy glance over her shoulder. Her hand swept over the hem of her dress. “Can you see my panty lines?”
After a not-so-quick visual inspection, he said, “No, babe. You look perfect.”
“Oops!” Her eyes widened, and she lifted her hand in front of her mouth. “I forgot,” she whispered. “I’m not wearing any.”
He stopped in his tracks. How was he supposed to make it through dinner knowing that?
She wiggled her fingers with a glint of wickedness in her eyes. “Coming?”
“Not yet,” he said under his breath. “But if the tablecloth is long enough, you will be soon.”
Willow’s eyes filled with heat.
Zane pulled Willow closer as they stepped onto the patio and whispered, “That was totally unfair.”
“What was?” She blinked with feigned innocence.
“Oh, is that the game we’re playing?” He slid his hand around her ribs and brushed his thumb over the outside of her breast, loving the instant peaks that rose to greet him.
Her mouth twitched like she was going to trap her lower lip between her teeth. He leaned closer and said, “Remember your lipstick, baby. Keep it on so we can see how hot it looks circling a certain part of me later.”
He guided her, and her slack jaw, toward their table. “Might want to close your mouth, because I’ve got something itching to fill it.” She snapped her mouth shut, and he whispered, “In case I forget when we’re busy later, I truly love everything about you, Wills. Naughty or not, it wouldn’t change a thing.”
“No?” she whispered. “What if I promise to swallow? That doesn’t amp it up even a little bit?”
Holy. Hell.
Right before they reached the table, she pressed her palms flat against his chest, causing heat to streak straight to his core.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said quickly. “If they say the word hard fifteen times during dinner, I’ll leave red streaks, not just rings, everywhere you want.”
She turned toward the table with a wide grin as Remi and the others rose to greet them, leaving Zane’s mind to quickly sift through everything he could possibly ask to evoke the right word. Fifteen times.
Zane tried to concentrate on the dead ringer for David Beckham standing before him, but his mind was firmly entrenched on the image of Willow on her knees, swallowing everything he had to give.
“Aiden Aldridge.” The guy with chiseled features and serious eyes offered a hand in greeting.
“So nice to meet you.” Willow took his hand and nudged Zane from his fantasy. “Isn’t it, Z?”
“Yes, very.” Zane shook Aiden’s hand, itching to sit down beside his beautiful Willow and get his hand between her silky thighs.
Aiden sat between Remi and Bridgette, who was fidgeting nervously with something in her lap and stealing glances at her handsome tablemate. Ben greeted Zane with a manly pat on the back and sat beside Remi. Zane wondered how long it would take before Ben made a play for her.
“Remi tells me congratulations are in order.” Aiden lifted his wineglass.
Zane sat beside Willow and filled their glasses from the open bottle of wine on the table. “Yes, that’s right.” Or at least he hoped it would be. He and Willow had officially become a couple, but that was a long way from being engaged.
“Are you married, Aiden?” Zane asked. He slid his hand beneath the table and squeezed Willow’s thigh, noting the hitch in her breathing.
“No,” Aiden answered. “Ben and I were just discussing the woes of owning or investing in multiple businesses. It makes it hard to form lasting relationships when you’re traveling so often.”
Zane shifted his gaze to Willow. “Hard, you say?” He pressed one finger into her thigh. “Yes, I know about how difficult it can be to maintain a relationship when you’re traveling. Willow’s coming with me to LA for the weekend before we begin shooting again.” He inched his fingers up Willow’s thigh.